Oklahoma Seeks to Opt Out of Hate Crimes Law
Written by Angry Mouse Tuesday, 16 March 2010 07:45
What an asshole:
In an amendment presented on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, gutted a bill that had been filed to create a task force to study the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, and inserted language to make changes to the state's hate crime statutes.
Under the new provisions of Senate Bill 1965, reports that were collected during investigations of possible hate crime that did not end in a conviction would be destroyed or kept by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
What does that mean? It means that Sen. Russell wants to make sure the big, bad federal government can't come barging into Oklahoma to investigate hate crimes. And lest you think Sen. Russell is an anomaly, he's not. The measure passed by a vote of 39-6 and now heads to the House.
And why do Sen. Russell and pals want to protect Oklahoma from the big, bad federal government?
Russell said because the government has decided to intervene on issues of morality, he is worried that religious leaders who speak out against any lifestyle could be imprisoned for their speech. "The law is very vague to begin with," Russell said. "Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia."
Um, Steve? First of all, "sexual orientation" is two words. And second, you're an asshole.
When asked about whether the state of Oklahoma should reject the $5 million in federal funds that the federal government would give to law enforcement agencies to help prosecute hate crimes, Russell said he thought about finding a way to pass his law while taking the money, but said it would be a compromise in the values of his bill.
Of course. Because Sen. Russell wants the big, bad federal government to stay the hell out of Oklahoma so that Oklahomans can commit hate crimes against gay people without fear of retribution. But he still wants the big, bad government to hand out the big bucks.
Read the original article in The Daily Kos
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